Ebay Find

Do you surf ebay alot? I do. I trawl through the antique furniture listings regularly hoping to find a bargain or a special piece now that I've got my own place to call home. Rarely do I find something so special its just too hard to pass up. Yesterday I found this magnificent piece... a rare gem that I was completely in aw of. Unforutnatley, I didnt end up bidding the final sale price was around $700 which I still think is still rather cheap, but I did save a pic to show you all.

Cant believe it!

Painter called today...he's ready and is coming this week.

Yes I caved in!

Painting update.

Painter was booked over a month ago.
Painter hasnt called.
Painter hasnt turned up.

In my mind... Painter is sacked!

Carpet

{Image from Small Space Style}

The other day I browsed carpet choice and came back with two samples and my measure and quote is booked in. I was doing my usual daily blog browse and came across these pictures. I really love the color and texture of this carpet, it looks so good with white walls!

Blue

This is my favourite blue at the moment.

Back up again!

Puter fixed!

Blogging on hold

Cant believe it. My husband spent 1.5 hours on the computer the other night and managed to invite numerous viruses and trojans. My computer wont turn on anymore, so blogging is on hold :(

Before I go just an update on the home front:
Painter is coming in October;
Quotes for new kitchen bentop is underway (we're doing a mini makeover, painting existing kitchen cabinetry, getting a new sink and changing the bench top)
Downlights are going in before painters arrive.

Still pondering window coverings and need to go look at carpets.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Lamps!

I've been waiting six weeks for a set of lamps, only to be told they are out of stock and next delivery is unknown... booo!!!!
It must have been a blessing in disguise because I found another set that work really well in my room. I'm very happy with them and they were cheaper.
Freedom sell this base and shade for a total of about $100 each.

The Owls are Hunting

{Image from The Owls are Hunting Blog}

I was surfing MadeIt tonight and came across this fantastic business. How gorgeous are these lamps! I'm going to get one for sure - I should start compiling my Christmas list!
Blog here
Website here
Etsy shop here

We've found him! Painting to commence soon!

Hi hi,
I think we've found a painter! Now if only I didnt keep changing my mind on the paint color!
On the weekend Spotlight were here to quote all my curtains, god bay windows take up so much fabric!
The pic above is one of my favourite pics ever. I love the decor, the colors, the textures, I'd love to achieve this look in my home.

Another pretty pressie

My friend Melissa gave me this pretty blue tassel for a house warming present. Its hanging on the back of our front door, but I often move it around and put it on our bedroom door, my side table, back to the front door again. I first met Melissa when I was hired to look after her role while she went on maternity leave with her first child. How old is Mikaela now Liss? We've been friends for years and have experienced many tales together, often sharing goss over dinner at our favourite Thai restaurant in Monee Ponds. Its sort of our meeting point when the phone and email is not enough. :)

The last 10%

A phrase I've heard once is "the last 10% is often the hardest to get done" or something like that. Its so true. My butterfly frames are still to be hung............. Bah.. cant wait to change my wall color!

Dinner party dessert

Here it is the most talked about dessert item at my house this weekend.... the Crochembouche! Check out that toffee baby!
Our dinner party went well...until my husband had an allergic reaction to the seafood. Oh no! He doesn't eat that much seafood, but I think he had an over dose of prawns (they were sensational by the way).

Personalised presents....

This week I'm going to share some house warming presents we received from some of our beautiful, thoughtful friends. This week I need to do another framing project for this gift I received from one of my girlfriends. We met on an online forum while planning our weddings over three years ago and have continued a close and growing friendship since. When I opened it all I could do was smile...such a sweet gift. I'm going to hang it in my entrance, kind of like a substitute for a 'home sweet home' wall hanging. Thank you Amanda xx

In progress...

I am so looking forward to the weekend. We have friends coming down from the country to stay and I'm delighted that I'II actually be accompanied to Ikea for a shopping trip with people (girls) who actually want to BE there. On our last trip to Ikea my husband said "I'm never EVER going to that place again". *Sad face* I dont know how Ikea is in the other states BUT in Vic its quite a chore. First you have to tackle Victoria Street, then the car park, then the maze inside Ikea, the check out - which is now self check out, and then getting out of the car park, then Victoria Street again.

Anyways, we're having a banquet dinner party Saturday night. I have my new blue and white table linen from Black and Spiro to show off and we're having Crocembouche - inspired by seeing one made from scratch for the first time on this years Master Chief.

To end the post I have some pics of projects in progress. One is of a canvas painting my buddy Belinda is doing for me. She's copied it from a photo I sent her of some Dahlias in a blue and white pot. She added texture to the flowers which I think looks awesome! She's a very talented lady, sews, paints, sells doggy attire on line. The second pic is of the boots I started knitting about the time we moved into our house. I'm on the homeward stretch, just doing the sock now.

Another Friday update

I got my butterfly prints back! They look great! Last weekend I found frames for $20 each at Spotlight, decided they were too chunky and then found more at the Reject shop for $4 - Love a bargain. I put them in to Deans Art at the start of the week and yesterday I picked them up.

This week I also fumbled around with some patchwork ideas.

Very short and sweet this week. Have a great weekend everyone.

PS. Sorry about the dodgy mobile phone pics.

End of week update!

Thought I would check in on the last working day of the week. I have been busy running around getting quotes for my butterfly prints that arrived (as well as watching Idol each night). I really love them. I didnt realise custom framing was so expensive. My prints are no bigger then 25cmx15cms and the quotes I've been getting back are around $90 per print, and I have six of them to go up in my master bedroom. Boooo! I found a really nice service men today in the city and I've decided I'II get my mats custom cut through him (about $14 each) and find standard frames. It should work out half the price, however I cant seem to find thin chocolate frames, all the frames are thin and black these days *big sigh*, why do these things have to be so hard. Booooo!
We had a Dulux color consultant visit us last weekend. It was funny and educational listening to a professionals advise and ideas. I think we are nearly close to choosing an interior color, of course I keep changing my mind, and hopefully soon we might be able to start actually painting, god I am so sick of green. The other night I was fighting the urge to pull the green drapes down from their tracks and start stomping on them. I sit in our living room glaring at them I detest them so much.
Other updates on the house: If I havnt already said so, I've got lamps from Oz design ordered, my bedside tables are in, I've switched over our tall boy (which I want to sell) in our master to the lower sideboard style, we moved in a flat screen into the bedroom which needs to be mounted above the side board, I've been enjoying movies on blue ray and I'm keen to get a security alarm. If anyone has any feedback on them please let me know.
Plans for the weekend: I need to sew this weekend. I have the most amazing little girls quilt at home. Its mostly pink, but I've attached a satin gold binding to it which makes it look so special. I'm also experimenting with some Japanse print fabrics for a new quilt. Busy busy.... I also want to look at carpet samples for our bedroom and living areas (I'm still trying to convince my husband to have floor boards in our living), since I have people coming to measure and quote my window furnitings in a few weeks.
Hopefully I'II be posting more regularly soon (and not speradically like I have been doing). My internet connection is still coming for home. Wont be too long now. I dont have any pics today, but will do next week. I've been shopping lots lately and I've got some goodies for show and tell from Douglas and Hope (one of my fav stores in the city). Have a great weekend!

Blue at Oroton

Its raining in Melbourne today. When I got into the city and was crossing the massive intersection at the lights at Flinders today I spied a women with a BLUE Oroton umbrella. I nearly ran into the person in front of me! I logged onto the Oroton website and found lots of blue accessories........oh no I think I'm going to be broke this month.

Note: The umbrella I saw was darker then the ultraviolet range in the pics below. I'm going to go hunt during my lunch break today - the joys of working in the city!

Butterflies in the bedroom

Update on my master is as follows. On the weekend I decided my bed linen was way too formal for funky lamps so I've given the below designers ones the flick - boo! BUT! I was in Oz design and found the Remi lamp and decided to order two. I bought the Ikea Melbu tables for my bedsides, they work really well and house a big mountain of books on the bottom shelf whilte still allowing a large surface space on the top for me to display some lovely trinkets and and photo frame or two. Now, moving onto the wall art. I really do need something above our bed. I scoured ebay for lithographs but none really did it for me. I found these antique prints on etsy though. I'm wondering if they'd work? Our room/house will be painted white, so I'm thinking I'd frame these in either black or gold frames. I'm leaning toward gold though. Are the butterflies too feminine? I'm always wary about that.

Olive Skies

Etsy is my friend today. Another art buy called "Olive Skies".

Portrait of a lady

Ebay was my friend today. I came across this portrait lady painting and snapped it up. She looks odly weird, I like her. I cant wait to hear the feedback from my husband, he'll probably say she looks evil!

Designer Vs Budget

This week I have been planning out my Master Bedroom. Currently it contains three items; a bed, a tall boy and an ottamen (not much at all). I came up with the following mood board.
1. Some lithographs I plan to buy from ebay and frame and mount above our bed. I got this idea from Sharnel at mylife-myloves
2. The Zeeman Lamp. I love bottom heavy lamps that are tall with drum shaped shades.
3. Metropolitian Bedside tables. A simplistic solution given the lamp is such a statement.
4. Ikea Hemnes tall boy. A piece from my renting days which is far too nice and functional to get rid of.
5. Ikea Bromma Ottamen. Impulse purchase recently.
6. Neautral colored curtains against white walls. I'm thinking of this color combo when we repaint and update the window furnitings.
7. Faux Lambskin. Love something fluffy for texture.
8. Blue and White Chair art from Anchovie I have a few of her artworks.
9. A design for a quilt I've started making.



I then zeroed in on the bedside table and lamp combo. The concept was based around the lamp which I loved. I got advice from a local interior decorator and then I priced it all. Now I'm depressed. I think I belong on the right side of the scale then the left. Perhaps I could go the cheaper option and spend $1000 updating my wardrobe - lord knows I need it!

Have a great weekend!

Happy weekend everyone!
This weekend I'm lurking around Victoria Street in Richmond with my work mate Jay. We're scouring the shops for a planter pot for her sun room and "potential" buys for me for the house. I'm leaving you with a pic i found on the net. Its exactly my Jet when he was about 6 months old. Silky coat, the facial expression (good dog? or bad dog? or just confused dog?) and the long gangly legs. Such a pretty pup!

Another Craft update

{Pic: andwabisabi}

I've started Cross Stitching. First project - brown squirrel!

PS. We're getting painting quotes at home.

Update

Well its been nearly a month since we first moved in and boy hasn't the time flown. My weekends are now consumed with house stuff, whether its unpacking, more unpacking, re-arranging or organising, shopping, house maintenance, more shopping or planning decorating ideas. Its never ending.

One of the exciting small things was putting a "Welcome" door mat out the front and installing a door bell ha ha.

My sewing room is somewhat set up, I had the machine out and have started a new quilt (smile), the new master bed has arrived and is divine, not too hard, not to soft - just right!! Our outdoor setting was delivered with a big bow in it, so its going back to the shop for replacement. We're getting paint quotes and the kitchen is getting a make over!

In all that I have managed to loose my camera battery charger. So with a dead camera battery I cant take any pics - how annoying.

This month amongst receiving lots of visitors and housewarming gifts, we also went to see Pink in concert. I highly recommend it. I haven't bought any of her albums, don't keep up with the top 40 in music these days yet still knew all the words to 90% of her songs.

Before I go I'II leave some pics of my latest projects. This month I've also started knitting (and its starting to become addictive). Living out in the "burbs" means a longer train ride for me and I need something to keep me from thinking "I wish I was on my other train line". Before now I've only ever really manage two scarves in my life both knitted in plain stitch. Now, I've just about finished these little beauties. I'm sewing on the flowers for the beanie and have the sock and strap to knit on the booties.

Talk soon!

xx

Got our Keys!

Everythings settled, we've got the keys to our home and we move this weekend! Yay!

Flowers in a fishbowl

Whats your favourite flower?
I have many types of flowers I love. Hydrangeas is an old favourite especially the blue ones. I love the hydrangeas shown in this pic, they look gorgeous in a fishbowl vase and against a white kitchen.
Hope you had a great weekend!

My new ebay purchase!

Yes!!!! I scored this beautiful antique Victorian Style 2 seater sette tonight on ebay. I have a beautiful antique dressing table with an oval mirror I've been storing away in the shed for a few years now. It will match perfectly with this piece in our master bedroom.

Mirror mirror, on the bathroom wall...

{Brabourne Farm blog}

I really want something pretty in our ensuite and these days alot of contemporary styled homes are opting for large tiles, floating vanities and frameless shower screens. But what about the bathroom mirror? Large frameless ones are meant to make a small space seem bigger. I quite like that idea, I'm keeping that in the back of my mind when we go to renovate our small rather weird gallery shaped kitchen for a splash back. However in the bathroom, venetian mirrors keep popping up in my head.

I've posted some beautiful images from Brabourne Farm, they make me drool, and unlike lots of gorgeous accessories us Australians find unattainable, there are plenty of venetian mirrors locally for sale on ebay.

I found some listings here, here and here. I love the hexagonal ones for prettiness, but would most likely choose a large rectangle mirror, if I ever did put one in the ensuite. What do you think? Would this kind of mirror make a small space look even smaller?

Bedroom colors: How warm is too warm?

I've always liked fresh bright white, and I think I will very much have white in our kitchen and living rooms, but for the bedroom I think I want something warmer. But how warm is too warm? I came across this wall color in the pic above and thought its alot darker then the usual warmer neautral tones I've seen that werent close to white.

Dulux says the following about warm colors:

Warm colours and shades will make a space appear smaller (and sometimes smaller is desirable)

Warm colours and shades make an object appear larger and heavier in weight

Time seems to pass more quickly in warm spaces

Temperature is perceived as hotter in warm spaces and;

Warm colours and earth tones encourage and maintain body warmth and physical action

How warm do I want my bedroom to be? At the moment in Melbournes winter I would say "very warm" and I'd be opting for the darker color. But how would it feel in summer?